Lord Krishna saw how the Kaliya serpent had polluted the Yamuna River with his terribly powerful poison. Since Krishna had descended from the spiritual world specifically to subdue envious demons, the Lord immediately climbed to the top of a very high tree and prepared Himself for battle. He tightened His belt, slapped His arms, and then jumped into the poisonous water. 

Krishna began sporting in Kaliya's lake like a lordly elephant swirling His mighty arms and making the water resound in various ways. When Kaliya heard these sounds, he understood that someone was trespassing in his lake. The serpent could not tolerate this and immediately came forward. 

Kaliya saw that Sri Krishna, who wore yellow silken garments, was very delicate, His attractive body shining like a glowing white cloud, His chest bearing the mark of Srivatsa, His face smiling beautifully, and His feet resembling the whorl of a lotus flower. The Lord was playing fearlessly in the water. 

Despite His wonderful appearance, the envious Kaliya furiously bit Him on the chest and then completely enwrapped Him in his coils. When the members of the cowherd community, who had accepted Krishna as their dearmost friend, saw Him enveloped in the snake's coils, motionless, they were greatly disturbed. They had offered Krishna everything--their families, wealth, and wives, all pleasures, and their very selves. At the sight of the Lord in the clutches of the Kaliya snake, their intelligence became deranged by grief, lamentation, and fear, and thus they fell to the ground.